Navy Silent as Wike Blows Up Over ‘Grabbed’ Land in Abuja

By: Akinde S. Oluwaseun

It started like any other inspection day — until it didn’t.

In the quiet Gaduwa District of Abuja, voices rose, tempers flared. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, found himself face-to-face with uniformed men from the Nigerian Navy. The accusation? Land grabbing. Bold, messy, political.

When our reporter reached out to Navy spokesperson A. Adams-Aliyu on Tuesday, his words were short, almost cold. “No reply for now,” he said — and that was it. Silence.

Videos from the scene tell another story. Wike, visibly angry, stood his ground, pointing at a piece of land he claimed the military had seized unlawfully.
“Because you’re an officer? Nobody does that. The man took land because he was Chief of Naval Staff?” Wike snapped, his voice cutting through the tension.

The officer — camo on, steady tone — interrupted. “I’m an officer with integrity. Everything was acquired legally.”

That didn’t go down well.
“Keep quiet!” Wike barked.
“I will not shut up,” the officer shot back.

And that was it. The spark. The clash of authority and defiance.
“You’re a very big fool,” Wike fired, eyes blazing. “As at the time I graduated, you were still in primary school.”

The officer held his ground, insisting he was there on official instructions. But Wike wasn’t having it. “Go and develop there and let me see,” he said, almost daring him.

Later, Rabi Umar, Assistant Director of Press in Wike’s office, issued a statement describing the incident as “lawlessness in uniform.”

Wike himself didn’t mince words either. He said he had warned his officials to stop any development without proper approval, but that the military allegedly chased them away.
“It’s really unfortunate,” Wike said. “You heard what the officer said — he was sent by the former Chief of Naval Staff. I don’t understand how someone who once held that position can’t simply walk into my office to explain. Or maybe, because he’s a military man, he thinks he can intimidate Nigerians. I’m not one of those.”

For now, the Navy keeps quiet. The dust hasn’t settled, and Abuja is still talking.